Governor signs Sen. Ingwersen bill to combat deed fraud

AUGUSTA — On July 1, 2025, Gov. Janet Mills signed into law a bill sponsored by Sen. Henry Ingwersen, D-Arundel. LD 353, “Resolve, to Establish the Commission to Recommend Methods for Preventing Deed Fraud in the State,” would establish a commission comprised of stakeholders to gather information and prevalence of deed fraud in Maine. The law aims to protect Maine property owners and prospective buyers from scammers who impersonate property owners and conduct cyber fraud schemes to fraudulently sell homes or land they do not own.

“Deed fraud is a serious, recurring issue in York County,” said Sen. Ingwersen. “By bringing community partners together to find solutions, this resolve gets us one step closer to meaningful protection against deed fraud in York County and across our state as a whole.”

LD 353 creates a commission comprised of legislators, a registrar of deeds, a title attorney, the Attorney General’s office and other stakeholders that will gather information on the practice and prevalence of deed fraud in Maine. This legislation will also create a public awareness campaign for Maine real estate agents and Registrars of Deeds throughout the state to raise awareness of the issue of deed fraud and ways to prevent it.

As emergency legislation, the law went into effect immediately upon the Governor’s signature. In the coming weeks, commission members will be appointed by the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House and begin meeting. The commission is required to deliver a report to the Legislature by December 3, 2025.